10:24 PM,
Oct. 7, 2012

Specialist Philip Finale, left, and trader Gerard Farco work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Friday, Oct. 5, 2012.

Written by

dan
moisand

QUESTION: I'm worried that the fiscal cliff will send the country into a recession and the stock market down. Should I bail out of stocks?

ANSWER: A well-known mutual fund manager once said. "Far more money has been lost by investors trying to anticipate corrections, than has been lost in corrections themselves."

Stocks provide the best chance of staying ahead of inflation and taxes over long periods of time. That's it. If that is not important, you may not want any stocks. A good investment portfolio is properly diversified, tailored to your goals, and only in stocks to the degree necessary. A ...